Low-alcohol and alcohol-free beer recommendations

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

There is a real lack of cold non alcoholic drinks available that are not sweet or fruity.

Interestingly in Japan there is a cheap style of beer you can buy in a can, it's basically just a beer tasting liquid that has alcohol added afterwards. It had me fooled until I was informed as to what it was. Why can't people just make that without adding the alcohol?

 

[chilango]

Been having a few Nanny States recently. It's ok. Lots of front, but no depth to its flavour. It'll do though. I like the Erdinger one too. It's refreshing.

 

[Tankus]

Becks ...fuk me ... I'd rather lick a stale unwashed armpit


and go back for seconds


a month later

erdringer marginally better if yer in a 'spoons

 

[skyscraper101]

Has anyone tried the Budweiser 'prohibition' one yet? Or the Heineken?

 

[8ball]

The Brewdog one is the best I've had by a country mile. With Bitburger drive being ok-ish, the Becks one being just about tolerable and everything else being rank.

Though there was a 1% wheat beer I tried which was great.

 

[killer b]

I haven't tried prohibition or the heineken ones, but have reports that they are quite bland. There's a few 'craft' alcohol free beers launched recently that I can recommend though: Big Drop, who's lager is by some distance the best non alcoholic lager I've tried. Their stout is supposed to be great too. I also enjoyed (though not as much) Nirvana's Tantra, and the others they do look good.

 

[Poi E]

Erdinger 0.5% is my staple these days. Fine at cellar temp for winter and chilled for summer.

 

[8ball]

Erdinger 0.5% is my staple these days. Fine at cellar temp for winter and chilled for summer.

Not tried that - will have to give it a go. Only in pubs or can you get bottles for home?

edit: would that be "Erdinger Alcoholfrei Refreshing Isotonic Drink?"

 

[killer b]

If you're in London there's a non-alcoholic beer festival this weekend btw.

Mindful Drinking Festival

 

[skyscraper101]

If you're in London there's a non-alcoholic beer festival this weekend btw.

Mindful Drinking Festival

That looks like a good chance to try many of these beers cited above.

 

[killer b]

They've a few on I haven't tried yet too - very interested in that Infinite Session they have listed.

I'd say from extensive testing that 0.5% beers are (much) nicer than the true alcohol free ones, and you'd have to nail more of them than it's possible to drink to have any effect so it's not really any different in practice.

 

[billy_bob]

Mindful Drinking Festival

They would have a festival called that, in that London.

 

[Sunset Tree]

I never fancy the 0.5% ones because I want to feel some effects, but would quite something around 2%. Any suggestions?

 

[chilango]

I never fancy the 0.5% ones because I want to feel some effects, but would quite something around 2%. Any suggestions?

Not quite alcohol free, but a genuinely lovely IPA at 2.8%.

[

 

[killer b]

They would have a festival called that, in that London.

They need some hook to hang it on - otherwise it's just a festival of beers you make do drinking because you're the designated driver / a recovering alcoholic. Not sure you'd get many people going to one of those.

 

[Poi E]

Not tried that - will have to give it a go. Only in pubs or can you get bottles for home?

edit: would that be "Erdinger Alcoholfrei Refreshing Isotonic Drink?"

Yeah, can be called an isotonic drink under German law. Lots of good stuff very little bad. Tesco do it on special for about £1.30. Wetherspoons are to stop selling it as part of their switch to UK products. Bummer.

 

[spanglechick]

My boyfriend likes the Heineken, and when it's very sunny he's quite partial to the Koppabergs. Must say, it seems quite a good time to be looking for this stuff. My local Sainsbury's has loads of choice.

 

[8ball]

Yeah, can be called an isotonic drink under German law. Lots of good stuff very little bad. Tesco do it on special for about £1.30. Wetherspoons are to stop selling it as part of their switch to UK products. Bummer.

I guess that will just leave Nanny State...

 

[joustmaster]

Due to the Mrs condition I bought a box of Becks blue about 8 months ago.
One has been had.
It's crap.

Also found some terrible terrible German wines.

 

[chilango]

From the other thread...

Innis & None

Flat Tire

Nanny State

...are the best I've found.

If you're willing/able to go to 2.8% then this is really, really nice
Half Mast

Bavaria Wit is ok in small doses if you want something that very vaguely resembles Hoegaarden. It's pretty sweet and sickly though.

Franziskaner do a passable weissbier that imo is better than the Erdinger.

M&S sell a 0.5% "Czech Lager" brewed by Staropramen that's alright.

 

[Throbbing Angel]

Has anyone tried the Budweiser 'prohibition' one yet? Or the Heineken?

Have tried Budweiser. It's okay. Different to Bud as I remember it.
Seems thin in the mouth to me.
I bought 24 Cans for£4 on our local market least week. I assume it ain't selling well

 

[discobastard]

Post copied over from the Politics BrewDog thread as it fits better here. FridgeMagnet could you possibly change the title of this thread to 'Low and alcohol free beer recommendations'? Makes it a bit more positive in this enlightened age

Been drinking a lot of low and AF beer recently, thought it was worth jotting down some notes and getting thoughts from others (and acknowledge all the existing thoughts above).

Heineken 00 is actually pretty good because it tastes like Heineken (I just don't like Heineken or session lagers, never have). Becks Blue is nowhere near as good IMO.

Nanny State I think is really pretty poor, very bland flat taste with no bite (compared to some of the better I've tried - though if I hadn't tried anything else I might think different). Brewdog Raspberry Blitz is an alcohol free sour, which is actually quite decent if you like that kind of thing.

I thought Erdinger was dreadful. There is also a Moretti AF that they serve in Pizza Express - it's new - and I thought that too was dreadful. Both have that weird sweet taste.

NIrvana Brewery do AF only - they have a number of pale ales of which 'Sutra' I thought was pretty good - not immediately obvious it has no (or v little) alcohol in it. After a bottle of this I had a bottle of Thornbridge Big Easy which had a great aroma but fell flat on taste in comparison (a bit like Nanny State - no bite or body to it).

Buy Nirvana Beers Online | Nirvana Brewery

Big Drop brewery are also AF only. Their Brown Ale and Winter Ales are really good (the Sour less so). They also have a Pale Ale and Citra Four Hop IPA. The former is pretty good but the Citra Four Hop IPA is excellent and by far the best AF I've tasted. The first time I had it, it wasn't immediately obvious it was AF. You can buy it online at drydrinker for £1.79 a bottle. So that and Nirvana Sutra are probably the best bets if you like pale ale. Just hard to find.

To drink. Not to be drunk. | Big Drop Brewing Co

As I said, I'm not really a lager drinker but I did have a couple of cans of Pistonhead Flat Tyre AF and that was pretty decent.

I haven't tried Adnam's Ghost Ship AF yet but am keen to do so, just not seen it on sale anywhere. I also want to try Infinity Session Pale.

Today I had a wheat beer called Rothaus Hefe Weizen at Craft Beer Co in Brixton. I'm not a massive fan of wheat beers but it was really good actually - thick and hazy like some of the hazy pales. Wheaty and chewy - a really good alternative.

Anybody tried Punk AF yet? Not seen it in any shops so far.

 

[Mattym]

If you're in London there's a non-alcoholic beer festival this weekend btw.

Mindful Drinking Festival

I hope they also do a Belgian 10% beers or more event called 'Mindless drinking festival', to balance things out a bit.

 

[killer b]

hey discobastard - we had an extensive thread in the christmas forum a few months ago that covers a lot of what's currently available - unfortunately archived now so we can't add to it, but it's worth a read for reference.

https://www.urban75.net/forums/thre...as-drinking-post-your-recommendations.362390/

 

[Patteran]

hey discobastard - we had an extensive thread in the christmas forum a few months ago that covers a lot of what's currently available - unfortunately archived now so we can't add to it, but it's worth a read for reference.

https://www.urban75.net/forums/thre...as-drinking-post-your-recommendations.362390/

Thornbridge Big Easy that I recommended in that thread is now available in Morrisons, along with a decent selection of others.

 

[killer b]

Not in my local Morrisons, but I'll keep an eye out, ta.

 

[Patteran]

Not in my local Morrisons, but I'll keep an eye out, ta.

Ah right - I'd assumed they'd be consistent across their shops. The cheapest one they carry locally here (Whitefield), a 0% lager called Bavaria maybe, is shocking.

 

[discobastard]

hey discobastard - we had an extensive thread in the christmas forum a few months ago that covers a lot of what's currently available - unfortunately archived now so we can't add to it, but it's worth a read for reference.

https://www.urban75.net/forums/thre...as-drinking-post-your-recommendations.362390/

Thanks - think I read some of that at the time, I know it's been mentioned in various places!

 

[TopCat]

I brew beer and the logistics of doing so and then removing the alcohol seem a fools errand.

 

[killer b]

I don't imagine a thread about non-alcoholic beer is of much interest to you then.